The operations of the Gujarat High Court came to a standstill on Thursday as the Gujarat High Court Advocates Association (GHCAA) continued its boycott of judicial proceedings in protest against the proposed transfer of sitting judge, Justice Sandeep Bhatt. The protest follows a resolution passed by the GHCAA on Tuesday after news emerged that the Supreme Court Collegium was considering Justice Bhatt’s transfer.
According to reports, courtrooms across the high court wore a deserted look, with the majority of judges adjourning their scheduled matters due to the absence of advocates.
While a few courtrooms witnessed party-in-person hearings, most listed matters were postponed for the day. Among them was the bail plea of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Chaitar Vasava from Dediapada, Narmada district, who has been in custody since July 5 after being arrested in an alleged attempt to murder case filed by a BJP leader from his constituency.
Vasava’s plea for regular bail—moved before the chargesheet is filed—has already been listed and adjourned three times previously.
The Supreme Court Collegium has not yet officially notified any transfers. However, the GHCAA had promptly reacted to reports of the proposed movement of 14 high court judges, including Justice Sandeep Bhatt, by convening an extraordinary general body meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
Following the meeting, the association immediately declared its decision to abstain from work, resulting in most post-lunch court proceedings being adjourned that same day.
In a message to its members on Tuesday, the GHCAA stated it had formed a delegation to make a representation before the Supreme Court seeking a reversal of the proposed transfer. The delegation includes GHCAA president Brijesh Trivedi, senior advocates Mihir Joshi and Asim Pandya, and advocates Hardik Brahmabhatt and Dipen Dave.
On Wednesday, the court was closed in observance of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Advocate Virat Popat, vice-president of the GHCAA, told a national daily that the association’s delegation is scheduled to meet Chief Justice of India B R Gavai in New Delhi on Thursday afternoon.
Popat said that the general body had decided to continue with the earlier resolution passed on Tuesday to abstain from work. He mentioned that a delegation of the GHCAA was scheduled to meet the Chief Justice of India that afternoon to discuss the issue of Justice Sandeep Bhatt’s proposed transfer. He added that the association would decide on Friday’s court work based on the outcome of that meeting.
Also Read: Lawyers’ Body Seeks Gujarat Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal’s Transferhttps://www.vibesofindia.com/lawyers-body-seeks-gujarat-chief-justice-sunita-agarwals-transfer/
